


Discoveries of all Kinds

by MumSnake



Series: Child of Scarlet Flame and Blacken Void [2]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Cornifer (Hollow Knight) - Freeform, Gen, Nailmaster Mato (Hollow Knight) - Freeform, Other, Post Dream No More Ending, The Last Stag (Hollow Knight) - Freeform, They're mentioned - Freeform, Violence, and Post Grimm Troupe Ritual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-04-26 18:07:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14407608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MumSnake/pseuds/MumSnake
Summary: The Child loved the Greenpath, but that abandoned shrine just... fascinated them.





	1. Greenpath and the Lake of Unn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Fixed the spacing.

The Child had managed to sneak away form their protective Guardian for once and had wondered over to the beautiful forest they had heard Cornifer call the Greenpath.

The Child loved the Greenpath. The environment felt far more alive then any other place that they had visited with Quirrel with the distant sound of running water and scrambling bugs no matter where they went. They could hear and see other creatures moving and living within the forest; the maskflies who gather in the more quiet places, and notable the moss bugs who move around the forest with confidence and reassurance.

The best place, however was the abandon shrine that opened up into a large volatile lake just at the edge of the Greenpath. The Child had wondered into the shrine on their first visit and had since made a point to go back to the shrine whenever they could.

There was something about the shrine that just... fascinated the Child.

They couldn't explain it really, though they had tried to many times before, both to themselves and to their guardian. They even went scavenging through what little notes they could make out and understand that Quirrel had managed to save from the ruined Archives but found nothing that actually noted the shrine or satisfied them as to what they felt.

The most success the Child had made in discovering what exactly it was that drew them to the old shrine was when they tried to sit still in the shrine and focus on the area around them, as that big bug who lived above Dirtmouth suggested once when the Child managed to speak to them in relative privacy. At first sitting still and listening to their surroundings had done nothing but the Child still enjoyed the peace they felt while surrounded by so much life. They could hear the popping of the acidic waters from the lake in front of them, the movements of other bugs shifting through leaves and grass and vines.

Then... there was a spark.

Not in the world around them, not in the forest of the Greenpath or the waters of the abandon shrine, but from them.

The Child felt a spark of flame ignite within them as they meditated near the lake and as they opened their eyes, their world changed ever so slightly with hints of scarlet red bleeding into the greens and blues of the forest. The water seemed to evaporate from their glance and the Child was able to catch just a glimpse of what lied at the bottom.

In an instant, the world around them snapped back into normality. The Child found themselves blinded for a short second as a sense of water rapidly rushing though them threw them onto the ground then disappeared.

The Child blinked rapidly to regain their vision and notice that the world around them had reverted back to normal. The water was as still as it had been when they first sat down and the forest as peace as any other day. Still, the Child stayed on the forest floor for a long time after that and eventually Quirrel had managed to find them and scold them for running off on their own.

So now, the Child was running faster then usual to reach the shrine. They ran past moss knights and vagabonds with ease and nearly fell into more fool eater's then they would like to admit, but they believe they made a break through.

During the last excavation with Quirrel at the Archives, the Child was able to learn something new about the shrine. There was a word that was placed all throughout the Greenpath, upon broken and shattered and covered and old tablets that the Child had seen but didn't understand. The same word was on one of the new tomes Quirrel was scavenging, and after asking their guardian was more then happy to explain the word and the context around it that the old record contained.

“This is about an old deity who the locals that lived in Greenpath worshiped with reverence.” The older bug said with a practice tone. “This particular record states that the locals saw the deity as a protector more then anything else, and looked to adapt the image of their deity in order to find peace and avoid conflict.”

“This one in particular,” Quirrel pointed at the word that the Child had noticed and first asked about. “We believed was the name used to refer to the old deity, and to our understanding was pronounced Unn.”

The Child made a quick series of flaps with their wings, just passing the stag station and turned towards the path that led to the shrine, the name of the old one on repeat in their mind.

They quickly ran to the edge of the clearing at held an old shell like body covered in vines and grass and some of the old tablets the littered the Greenpath. The Child paid them no mind as they jumped down and glided forward towards the ditch that twisted to the lake-

**-CRACK-**

The Child was harshly thrown onto the ground, dirt and dust flying upwards upon their impact along with a shrill screech. The Child blanked out for a second before an intense and increasing sharp pain coming from their right side brought them back. They tried to move just a little when something heavy and hard came crashing on top of them, sitting off another ghastly screech. The Child gave off gasps of air, their hidden mouth now opened and clinched on sharp teeth as the weight on top of them shifted.

The Child heard the steady and confident steps of the predator that attacked them as they walked towards their face. Small scarlet flames threatened to spill from their fangs, until they saw the elegant red cloak that hung on their attacker. Any sense of fight left the Child immediately as they slowly and painfully looked up into the eyes of the current monarch of Hallownest.

Queen Hornet glared down at her trapped prey with eyes as empty as the Void itself.


	2. Unmerciful Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Child had seen the Queen of Hallownest only a number of times before from afar and had never had the pleasure of speaking to the regent. Quirrel was always adamant about that... made a point to always leave as quickly as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was suppose to be the last chapter of this short story, but I'm an animal who possesses no self control so now its extended.
> 
> Edit: Fixed the spacing.

The Child had seen the Queen of Hallownest only a number of times before from afar and had never had the pleasure of speaking to the regent. Quirrel was always adamant about that, when the two of them found themselves near the Queen's City or territories, and made a point to always leave as quickly as possible. The Child never really knew why though as their Guardian would purposely avoid anything that ran through the Queen's Paths, uttering to himself then to them, “We should hurry along.” “Quickly now, little one.” “There isn't a moment to waste.” “There is somewhere we are needed.”

“We can't linger here.”

“We need to go, quickly.”

There were times where Quirrel would gab the Child and carry him away from the roads that led to the City of Tears. The older bug made use of his nimble legs and displayed far more grace then he did anywhere else as he would jump great distances as fast as possible.

The Child now wished for the comfort of their Guardian as they tried to move freely the pristine nail that pended them to the forest ground. The Queen glared down at them with a brutal glare, it made them feel as if they were being held down by another nail with the force of her stare; it held no mercy, no patience, no pity.

They felt like nothing under her eyes and a small spark of flame flickered within their mouth, out of fear or nerves they weren't sure.

Hornet noticed the small flame escape and her body tensed ever so slightly from it. With no real warning, she swiftly approached the nail still impaled in the younger bug and roughly yanked it out. The Child gasped out in pain, their body twitching slightly upward as the nail left them. They wrapped a weak arm around their midsection, the nail having pierced through to their front.

Hornet hovered over the gasping Child, her eyes now hard and the grip on her nail tightened as she straighten her posture.

“Why are you here?” Her tone was fierce, delivery cold. The Child began to shake with fear and suspicion as to what the Queen planned on doing. They curled around themselves in a feeble attempt to become smaller.

They couldn't respond.

They were too scared.

They wanted their Guardian.

They wanted Quirrel.

The Child chocked out a small sob, tiny burst of fire flashed from their mouths but they were too afraid to command it. They notice Hornet shift however as the Queen regarded them with barely contained fury. Faster then the Child could react in their current state, Hornet jabbed her nail forward pierced their abdomen.

A horrifying screech left their small body as their sob turned into a scream. The Child roughly shoved against the nail, freeing themselves from the weapon, and gave a great flap of their wings, trying to push themselves away from the Queen.

Hornet was quick to recover and aimed her nail to throw and strike against the Child's back and pulled them in with her weaver's string attached to the blade's hilt.

Just as she threw her nail, the Child fell to the ground with a hard thump and a gasp of pain. The first wound she had made had actually damaged their wing, preventing them from being able to fly away.

As Hornet stacked closer to her prey, the Child began to crawl away into a rather small crevice hidden within the forest ground. They crawled awkwardly through roots and thick vines, ignoring the pain from their body caused by the tight space.

“I should end this here.” Her voice came to them from the other side of some vines. She was watching them through the trees, ever the patient hunter.

The Child took a risky moment to compose some of themselves.

They needed to find a way to lose Hornet.

“You are not something that should even be.” Her voice was followed by a soft _**woosh**_ and the sound to vines and branches following on the forest ground.

It was uncomfortably close to the Child hiding spot.

“Nothing more then an unnatural little nightmare.” The words were little more than a whisper, a sadness lingering on them.

The Child could not contemplate their meaning however as Hornet immediately charged at them.

A small yelp escaped the Child as they leaped out of the roots they were hiding in, a small speck of scarlet fire came out as well, but it was noting that the Queen couldn't swipe away.

Hornet closed the distance between the two instantly, her nail primed and ready to cut through anything it made contact with.

The Child made another attempt to fly away, at least to gain some distance, but they were too slow, too late to anticipate the blow.

“SHHAA!” Hornet lashed out with a battle cry and slashed through the Child's midsection. Their eyes widen as the blow made its way through their small body.

_Ah,_ a familiar echo sounded off in their head as everything around them seemed to slow down in time even their body which was now nearly cut in two.

_It would appear... that some assistance... is required..._

The Child began to feel dizzy all around. Their body which had been pulsing with pain before now grew incredibly numb and disjointed. Their vision blacked out and came back multiple times, more and more unclear each time until it stopped all together.

Everything was black, and numb, and quiet.

Then something flickered, something... warm.

_Calm this racing being of yours..._

_Rest my child..._

_Rest._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: I started like 4 different drafts for this chapter, all of them on different days. I just kept going back and changing little things, then big things, now its getting longer then I first planned, its gonna spiral out of control at this rate.
> 
> Fun Fact 2: I like using commas and, as previously stated, can't control myself. Sorry about that.


	3. Worried Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A humming voice that echoed all around them, bouncing through numerous rooms and giving the illusion of multiple participants singing a gentle melody, but as the Child became more awake and aware of their reality, they saw the truth to be their Guardian quietly humming while watching over them protectively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I increase the chapter number, I feel like I lied to you guys (which I kind of did) and I'm sorry for that.
> 
> Edit: Fixed the spacing.

The shifting of material was the first thing that the Child noticed. They could hear soft, careful steps move on top of stone and when they focused just enough, they could make out echos of running water from a further room. Everything felt warm and calm and safe. The Child stirred somewhat on their makeshift bed, a rather thick cloak that acted as a blanket moved with their shifting down to their midsection...

“ _ **SHHAA”**_

The Child shot upward in alert, the memory of the Queen and the last thing she had done hitting them hard. They hurriedly searched their body with shaking fingers, their wings trembled under their arms with strain and their abdomen began pulsing uncomfortably with the memory of everything. Shrill cries started to slip from their mouth before they could stop the noise and they felt the wetness of tears on their cheeks.

Clawed palms clutched their abdomen tightly and repeatedly as their wings tried to detach from their arms and hide their body without much success.

It had hurt so much.

“It's ok, it's ok,” A pair of arms were suddenly around them with a strong embrace. The child tensed only slightly before they recognized their Guardian.

Quirrel was at their side in a second and reassured them over and over. The smoothing voice of their Guardian helped to calm them as their pained cries died down to choked sniffles. Their body however still shook violently in his hold. They still felt so scared and ended up worming their head into Quirrel's neck as they curled more into a ball in a small attempt to hide from the world.

“It's ok, little one, I'm here. I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere.”

“I promise.”

–

It was a different sound that woke the Child up this time. A humming voice that echoed all around them, bouncing through numerous rooms and giving the illusion of multiple participants singing a gentle melody, but as the Child became more awake and aware of their reality, they saw the truth to be their Guardian quietly humming while watching over them protectively. They shifted to look around and noticed the hanging lumafly lamps mixed with an assortment of charms and trinkets made in the image of dreams. Underneath them was the soft material of plush pillows and fabrics and the Child realized that they were within one of the lofts within the Resting Grounds.

The older bug noticed his charge stirring and stopped his song, a gentle but firm hand held out and ready to assist should it be needed again. The Child meekly faced Quirrel, an arm still wrapped protectively around their stomach which Quirrel did not fail to notice.

“How are you feeling , my little one?” Quirrel's voice was quiet and sounded tired despite his tense appearance. “Are you...” He trailed off for a second, rethinking what he wanted to say, how he wanted to say it. “Does it still hurt?”

The Child unconsciously curled inward at his question away from their Guardian, which caused a look of hurt to appear on his face, before correcting themselves. They shouldn't of done that, their Guardian would never harm them like, like...

“I'm sorry for bringing it up, of course it still does, you were so badly injured. We should visit one of the healing springs for good measure, through I know that last time you had said that they had little to no affect on actually healing you, but they possess such pure properties, at least in the smallest of ways they can help ease a little of your pain, maybe the strain? Every little bit will help and-”

Quirrel was a walking chatter box as he moved around the Child and throughout the room, picking out specific pieces of clothes and tools and items and gathering them together. The Child felt themselves relax more at the familiar sight of their Guardian babble while he tried to pick out what he thought they would need when traveling throughout the kingdom. He always did this when he was excited or nervous or scared.

The Child thought they knew which emotion Quirrel was going through right now as he reached for a discarded nail that had been buried under some rather plush looking pillows in his earlier gathering.

“- I suppose the quickest route would be the stag station, but the old Stag would no doubt ask some questions and I believe neither of us exactly want to answer to anyone right now so that leaves-”

“qurr.”

“- the blue lake, but the lack of a proper raft...” Quirrel stopped his rambling as he recognized the sound. He instantly turned to the Child and was at their side. “Is something wrong?” He asked with a worried expression, gaze looking for wounds or something that would hurt the Child.

The Child shook their head no and patted the soft bedding they sat on purposefully. Quirrel took a moment to look between the bedding and the Child before understanding.

“You want to stay here?”

The Child gave a nod in confirmation.

Quirrel sat in silence for far longer then the Child grew to like before finally voicing a rather flat, “Alright.”

They knew their Guardian was worried and wanted to make sure they healed as best they could, but moving to one of the healing springs was pointless and unnecessary as the springs healing properties did not seem to work on them.

And they both knew that.

But that silence had meant that Quirrel was now thinking of other things.

Possibly things that the Child really didn't want to answer or things the Child didn't know how to answer.

Their Guardian came and tucked the Child into the gray cloak they were using as a blanket.

“If we are staying here, then you should rest as much as you can.” Quirrel moved to place the old nail near his own bed. He walked back over to the Child and seemed to hesitant. The Child gave him a tilted head in question, but Quirrel seemed to think better of what ever he was about to say.

“Should you ever need anything,” Quirrel said slowly, ever the patient bug, “I'll be here for you, my little one.”

“You only need to call for me.”

–

Quirrel would want answers, the Child knew this. Their Guardian would want to know what had really happened between them and the Queen, how it had happened in the first place and most definitely where. He would question why the Child had gone off on their own without telling him first, and although he might not insist on knowing what the Child was doing, Quirrel would absolutely forbid them from going off on their own again for the foreseeable future.

But the Child had something to do.

It still lingered within them, still pulled at their thoughts even as they spent the next few days and nights regained their strength. Almost like a taunt, more like a beckoning that rose from deep within them that they couldn't understand despite all the contemplation they've done before meeting the Queen and afterwards.

They needed to go back to that shrine hidden within the Greenpath, above that acidic lake.

And so the Child had set out not long after dusk some time later when simply moving about no longer caused a sharp pain to rise from their abdomen, but left an unpleasant sting. There was no real physical scar to mark the blow Hornet had made, but the Child knew better; knew themselves better then to believe they were or would ever be fine again.

But that was a question for another time and that warm familiar feeling from before told them not to linger on such things. So the Child slipped silently out of the loft and into the quiet night.

They could hear the waters of the Glade near the loft and the splashing sounds of their Guardian moving through them. Quirrel had spent the last few days both watching the Child and tending to the old abandon graves that filled the Rest Grounds. The Child also noticed that their caretaker had spent near no time sleeping, which meant that now was really the only opportunity to sneak away once again.

The Child couldn't even imagine how Quirrel will react when he found out.

The Child carefully pushed themselves off the ground and towards the bottom of the Resting Grounds, their wings puffed out and glided them down the twisting paths. Once near the ground, they gave one more push, flapping downward and tilting their body to flew through the entrance. They flew over the many unmarked graves that surrounded the entrance, made a special point to completely avoid the graves they knew were marked as for the Dreamers, then outwards and down towards the Blue Lake and the Crossroads with the Greenpath in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so the plan is to end the story next chapter, which I'm half way through writing, because ending this one here felt like the right thing to do.
> 
> Pray I don't get inspired to add more.


	4. Grimm's Hold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world around the Child became one of dancing fires and blood red lights flickering uncontrollably against one another. They felt that strange sense of warmth again coming from their core, as if something was trying to come out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually the last chapter.

The Child took a sharp stop as they reached the edge of the Blue Lake. The cavern that held the water was as quiet and still as it always had been, the water shifting only slightly from the echo made by the Child's landing. This place was always so... empty.

The Child gave one hard shake of their head, they had somewhere to be and only so much time to get there before Quirrel found out they had left. With a purposeful jump and a powerful push, the Child was air born once again and flew over the still blue water. They would have to focus more on their destination while moving through the Crossroads, least they end up facing one of the Queen's many patrol guards.

Or perhaps the Queen herself... 

The Child wondered if she would really try to hunt them down as they reached the end of the lake and turned through a narrow tunnel, leading towards a small settlement.

The stone huts belonged mostly shopkeepers who aimed to catch the attention of those who visited the Blue Lake on their way down to the capital city. There were also a few mender bugs who had grown attached to one hut in particular, the Child remembers meeting the eccentric bugs once and nearly lighting them a flame when they visited with Quirrel to commission repairs for the old Archives.

But now none of the bugs living in the settlement wondered outside in the dead of night and the Child quickly moved on to the other end.

–

The Crossroads weren't as quiet or empty as the Blue Lake or the small settlement had been with its numerous patrols and the many travelers who moved around Hallownest whenever they saw fit. The Child paid no real mind to the latter of the two however and made sure to either completely avoid paths that they knew the patrols traveled on or to stick as close to the shadows as possible to prevent catching attention. 

In no time, the Child had moved and flown towards the East of the Crossroads and as their environment began shifting from dark hues of blues and gray to dulled out teals and greens. The Child came to a smooth stop as they saw the first sight of the acidic river that ran all throughout the Greenpath. Pulling their arms and wings to wrap around their body, the Child slowed their pace to a quick walk.

The creatures that usually littered the Greenpath were nowhere to be seen and after a good while of walking through green pastels, the Child noticed that the their was relatively no sound either other then the bubbling of the acidic waters and maybe a brush of infrequent wind.

Something wasn't right.

The Child quickened their steps and quieted their breathing; they felt like they were being watched.

They kept walking faster and faster towards the direction of the shrine, they knew it was this way, just a little further and-

“WAAAAAAHHHHRRRRRR”

The ground near instantly broke from under them as large and impossibly sharp mandibles swallowed the earth around and beneath them. The Child let out a shrill cry in shock as the ground gave way and threaten to drop them into the jaws of whatever this creature was. They quickly expanded their wings and pulled themselves out through the rocks and dirt that fell as the jaws came to a close.

The Child tried to fly as far up as they could but the thick foliage of the forest prevent them from really gaining any distance. There was a loud snap from under them as the creature pounced at the Child; thin, long, and clawed arms reached out to grasp at the panicked Child. They only just slipped through the creature's fingers thanks to their much smaller size, but the Child had no choice but to dodge downward towards the broken forest floor. The creature didn't miss a beat, using the momentum of the jump and the toned strength of its arms to push off the bark and branches of the harden trees and redirect towards its target now on the ground.

The Child with no time to react and panic still driving their actions and huffed out a scarlet flame larger then they ever had before and ignited everything living around them. The world around the Child became one of dancing fires and blood red lights flickering uncontrollably against one another. They felt that strange sense of warmth again coming from their core, as if something was trying to come out, or maybe...

The sensation was forgotten as the extremely large figure of the creature who attacked them barreled through the scarlet flames, nearly hitting the Child head on. They came back to their senses and felt the panic rise up once again as the creature stood up among the fires, seemingly unaffected.

“Hmmm.” A booming voice came from the creature as it turned to face them and the Child was able to make out the white glows of its eyes within the gaping jaws. The creature turned its body to more readily face the Child, its arms hung down in front of it nearly gripping the still burning ground as if ready to pounce up and charge. 

“Her Highness, it would seem,” There was a role in its speech, as it seemed to linger on certain sounds and the Child felt themselves tense up from instinct.

Any moment now...

“had failed to mention that this,” the creature gestured from its kneel position to the scarlet flames around them. The fires themselves did not seem to be spreading through the lush of the forest and remind contained to what was now marked as their compact area. The Child braced themselves at the movement. 

They were ready this time.

“this rather unique ability of yours. But no matter,” the creature returned its limbs to the ground, staring down the Child with a new look of hunger. “prey is still prey to a great Hunter such as I.” With no warning the creature, the Hunter, lunged at the Child with maddening speed.

NOW! The warm feeling they had within them seemed to burst with the noise of crackling fire just as the Hunter rammed straight into the Child. Their eyes blacked out for only a second as the sound of fires and a flare of wings filled their senses. The Child was distantly aware of how fast they were moving now too. Everything seemed to be rushing past them as they flew back and forth and over and under the Hunter, as they had no real control over their actions. The world had tinted to a vision of flickering reds and dancing blacks as they moved around the Hunter with the grace of an eloquent dancer, always within reach but never touched. 

They saw the Hunter swing out one of its clawed hands in one of its rapid bursts of speed, but when the Child tried to move out of the way, their body denied them control and faced the attack head on. The panic came back, but instead of just being from the fear of an attacker the Child became anxious from their lack of body control. The clawed hand had hit the Child head on, but instead of an impact, they became a wisp of dark flame, flowing over, around, and through the Hunter's attack and the Hunter itself as the Child landed beautifully on an over turned trunk and reforming completely before then dashing through the forest as fast as their wings and the flames would carry them.

The Child heard the clashing of the Hunter behind them as the predator tried to keep up with its running prey, but the foliage of the Greenpath was too tightly compact for them to use their amazing speed long enough to catch up. The Child felt whatever had possessed them focus on gaining more ground, disappearing into the shade cloak of flames more and more to move through thick plants and tangled veins.

They hadn't notice the lack of noise from their attacker until abruptly their body stopped, the sudden pause in motion caused them to stagger, fall, and slide somewhat on some tall grass. The Child remained still for a minute, there was no sound from behind them that indicated that the Hunter was still chasing them and the warm force that had abducted their body seemed to had vanished as will. 

Turning onto their back with their arms and wings stretched out, the Child let out a deep breath of air and allowed themselves to relax, if only for a moment.

–

By the time the Child had decided to continue towards the lake, the Greenpath had somewhat reverted back to the bustling and thriving forest that the Child had grown to love. As they carefully walked through the plants and trees that led to the shrine, the Child listened carefully for any signs of either the Hunter or the Queen. They wanted to believe that the sounds of life coming from all over the forest meant that they were safe for now, but after their previous two encounters...

As they entered the small clearing where Hornet ambushed them before, the Child couldn't help the tremble that went through their body. They shrunk into the shadows and walked around the edge of the clearing. The Child looked all around themselves before daring to quicken their pace just a little. Closer to the old corpse now and to the spot where they were attacked before, the Child could just make out the splatters of their dark blood still staining the forest ground. Not wanting to stay any longer, the Child rushed forward to the tunnel that led to the old shrine, their body tense and their hearing strained just in case anything tried to stop them now.

But nothing came, and as the Child glided over some exposed acidic water, they stopped on the path and let out a silent breath of relief. A small brush of wind breezed by over them, gentle and filled with a few taps from the acidic waters.

The Child look towards the Lake and felt that same warm sensation come back. They found it to be calming now, small and not as overwhelming as moments ago, but they could still feel a need rise up from the feeling, a need to know and a need to take.

The Child wanted to feel more worried about those impulses, about this foreign yet familiar feeling within them, but at the moment this warm sensation that seemed to come more and more readily filled the Child with a new high, grating them confidence as they were motivated to walk over to the Shrine dedicated to the deity known as Unn. 

The lake was as still as ever and the shrine itself as ruined as any other time the Child had seen it before, but as they thought of the deity's name more and more a sense of power overcame them.

They felt untouchable as they came closer and closer to the docks edge.

As one should, my Child.

The warmth reached out to them again with more force and sparked to life within them but unlike before when it had been all consuming and controlling, the Child felt a sense of pride directed towards them.

But there was also an unspoken command and they felt compelled to follow.

As close to the Lake of Unn as the Child could be, they straighten their back and folded their wings across their body allowing the limbs to mimic a black cloak with scarlet red outlines. As the first rays of the morning sun began to hit the water, the Child reached down deep within themselves and willingly summoned the warmth of the old Scarlet flame that always burned deep within. With the essence of the Scarlet Flame enveloping their body and most of their mind, the Child felt themselves become someone different.

They managed to stay just within the corners of consciousness as Grimm took control and called forth the forgotten Deity of the forest.

“Oh old God lost to time, come forth and accept this fate of yours, Unn the Protector and Resilient.”

As soon as the name was mutter, the lake began to stir. The acidic bubbles of the water became more erratic and any bugs or animals that happened to be near quickly ran off. But Grimm remain perched were he stood, even as the water quickly rose, electrifying the air and causing a short shower and a massive beast emerged from the surge of falling water. 

Unn stood as a massive force of nature and Root. The old deity was simple in appearance, portraying the image of a great slug, but the previous Troupe Master who now possessed the Child knew better. The Child stirred as they saw through the eyes of another in order to see through the disguise of the old deity and fully witness the being that had been pulling at their mind all this time.

Unn spoke to Grimm in a voice the Child could not comprehend. Instead they only heard the soft chime of leaves rustling in the wind and a stream of water steadily moving act as its voice.

“The ancient Radiance has past, old one, and what little that remains posses no threat to this newborn kingdom. There is little to defend against or resist as dreamers vanish and seers die out.”

The Child heard the snapping of twigs and the rippling of disturbed water.

“Know that I mean not to offend, but to offer some respite in this time of rekindling for I have heard your call, Old One, and am willing to negotiate.”

“The time of Root has past, just as the time of the Bright Light. Your relevance to the kingdom born of Wrym and Void is practically null,” The Child felt the change in the flames that made up Grimm, the Scarlet fire that burned within flickered violently with hunger and greed. “but I can see that your great being still burns with purpose.”

The Child felt the fires wrap around them, their vision of the world around them faded to deep reds and hard blacks as the voice of their patron faded into the crackling to a fading fire. The Child wanted to struggle out of the flame's embrace, they wanted to know what the two were talking about, what was happening, why this old god had called to them for so long, why their patron had taken control, but the fires hushed their cries for answers with gentle caresses. The Child couldn't fight against the hold and just slumped into it, annoyed but willing to let it go for just a little while because the fires belonged to their patron and they remembered this.

They remembered their patron father used to hold them just like this a long time ago, before they could truly think and feel and understand. Grimm used to hold them close just like the fires now did, protectively under his cloak and wings so that nothing could reach them and nothing could harm them. He would sway ever so slightly and sing softly along to the music that played around all of them.

The Child couldn't remember his face, but they knew his voice and they knew his flames. They fully fell into unconsciousness as they wondered how they could had ever forgotten their father.

–

“...mm, please...”

“wa... Little one? My little one, please come back to me.”

The Child slowly stirred under the plea, their movement cut short as something grabbed onto them tightly.

“Oh blessed Root, you're awake.” Quirrel held the Child in with a death grip, all of his worried and fear coming to hold his charge as he came to terms with the fact that he found the Child and that they were find. The Child didn't react to his hug at first, but quickly hugged back their smaller arms only managing to hold their Guardian's sides but their wings were able to at least reach his back.

Quirrel refused to move, saying how he was so worried when he came back to the loft at the Resting Grounds to find the inside empty and the Child missing. He had instantly though the worse and that Hornet had fond them, and he stuttered to even finish that sentence but the Child knew what he meant and held him tighter to reassure him that they were fine, they were still here.

“I hadn't a clue as to where to look, running around like a Flukemon without its head. The poor dear Old Stag had to take a good while just to convince me to not storm the capital or to run out in search of Hornet in the middle of the night. He was the one that really found you, or more heard the noise of something big crashing multiple times into the ground and pointed me in the direction of the Grenpath, but when I saw all that destruction I had hoped beyond everything that you wouldn't be here, because I know the Hunter likes to roam, but then I saw those fires and I knew and I looked all over but I thought that-”

Quirrel choked up in his worried rambling, one of his hands came to cover his face as he took a few stunted breaths and the Child was able to see the tears freely fall from Quirrel's face. “I thought that I had lost you, that you were gone for good this time.”

Their Guardian whispered the confession with so much fear and worry, the Child felt the guilt in them twist terribly. They hadn't mean to cause so much pain to their Guardian.  
“sorr, sorrr...”

“I know,” Quirrel chuckled with a small hiccup as he wipped away the tears that fell down his face, “I know Child, I know.”

The Child again tightened their hold of Quirrel and their Guardian went back to embracing them, now more relaxed and calmed. The usual noise of the forest returned around them as life resumed as it normally does.

But as Quirrel let go and decided that the two should return to Dirtmouth before something else came up, the Child sparred a glance towards the Lake of Unn half expecting to see its deity. Nothing showed, and the lake continued to bubble with its acidic water as it always had, and the Child hesitated.

Something felt missing.

The lake seemed empty.

“Is something wrong?”

The Child looked back over to Quirrel who stood at the opposite end of the Lake ready to leave, his face for a worried frown that his voice reflected too.

The Child quickly shook their head no and hurried to Quirrel's side. 

They couldn't linger on this, not now at least. They couldn't hurt Quirrel again like that. So they walked with Quirrel to the Stage Station that had miraculously remained mostly untouched by the chaos the Hunter's chase had caused and they stayed by Quirrel side the ride back trying to think of a good excuse for everything that had happened when their thoughts came back to Grimm.

Their patron father knows what happened at the lake with Unn, he knew why Unn was calling them for so long, he knew how to hold off both the Queen and the Hunter and escape from them.

Grimm knew, and the Child wanted real answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So its the last chapter to this story, but there is more to come.
> 
> Thanks for Reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I plan on jumping all over the place with the stories, so they won't exactly be linear, but should still be able to be read in any order. If something specific were to take place in the time line of the AU, then I'll make note of it at the beginning.


End file.
